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BMW Buyer's Guide | |||||||||||
| BMW Prices Get a free and easy price quote in minutes.  |
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| So BMW is dead serious about their electric urban commuter and in fact they are going to launch it in two years... Press Release: |
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Tesla Buyer's Guide | |||||||||||
| Tesla Prices Get a free and easy price quote in minutes. |
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The Port of Los Angeles has put into service the world’s first all-electric port truck, a behemoth capable of hauling 60,000 lbs. of freight.
That’s just over 22 Teslas, or a 40-foot shipping container full of televisions from Korea or furniture from China...
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2009 Smart fortwo | ||
| Price Range $11,990.00 - $16,990.00 | Fuel Economy 33 city / 41 highway Base Engine 70-horsepower L3 | Value Rating N/A |
| Anyone remember the Vanguard-Sebring CitiCar? This tiny, angular, two-seat battery electric car built in Florida from 1974-1977 looks as if it could have been the spiritual predecessor of the Smart (highly doubtful), and now Smart is poised to bring an electric version of its familiar Fortwo commuter car to our shores. Series production began in mid-November on the regular production line in Hambach France. This variant, unlike the 100 experimental first-gen e-Smarts, uses a 16.5-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack that replaces the fuel tank below the seats and between the axles, out of harm's way and as low as possible. The rear-mounted 30 kW motor (40 hp) provides 89 lb-ft of torque. That's up by a third from the first-gen motor, which drew from a sodium-nickel-chloride battery that required heating to work. Lessons learned in the earlier electric Smart have driven development of this car, 1000 of which will be produced for lease during the second quarter of 2010 in selected European and U.S. cities prior to wider production beginning in 2012. |
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Hybrid Buyer's Guide | |||||||||||
| Hybrid Prices Get a free and easy price quote in minutes. |
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| The Wheego Whip is a car any true motorhead would consider to be punishment meted out by Al Gore to make us atone for the Dodge Viper. The little electric car is slow. It’s heavy. And frankly, it isn’t much to look at. But the Whip is a pretty good commuter car that will do a fine job hauling you around town in something approximating comfort and convenience. We spent some time behind the wheel and can say the Whip is neighborhood electric EV with acceptable range and a reasonable recharge time. It also costs $18,995. Yikes... |
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Hybrid Buyer's Guide | |||||||||||
| Hybrid Prices Get a free and easy price quote in minutes. |
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Ah, the motoring icon of communist eastern Germany! Few weeks ago we told you about the debut of the new Trabant at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
We know that some people were very happy and we have some more great news today: the new Trabi will also have a pure electric version, capable to offer a range of 250 km...
Read more at 4WheelsNews.com
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Compared its postmodern exterior, the Aptera 2e's interior looks civil, if the sketch released this week provides any indication.
Aptera, a San Diego County-based electric car maker, is closing on its planned production date for its front-drive three-wheeling electronic vehicle...
Read more inside Motor Trend
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GM says that the 2011 Chevrolet Volt electric drive unit helps the Volt produce produces 150-hp and 273 lb-ft of torque allowing it to hit a top speed of 100 mph.
Earlier today during a live chat with Jon Lauckner, GM’s Vice President of Global Program Management, and one of the Chevy Volt’s founding fathers, a question about the Volt’s performance specifications was asked...
Read more at eGMcarTech.com
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BMW continues testing with its upcoming BMW 7 Series Hybrid which will be sold under the 755ih name tag.
Just last month, we were able to bring you the first spy photos of this new hybrid which seems to be kept out in the open by BMW.
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BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As companies and governments grapple with ways to cut costs and reduce carbon emissions, their vehicle fleets represent a significant opportunity to achieve both goals, and an increasing number of fleet managers are utilizing hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) as a solution.
According to a new study from Pike Research, global hybrid fleet sales will surpass 830,000 vehicles in 2015, up from 280,000 in 2008. Next generation plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) will represent 21% of total hybrid fleet sales that same year.
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Peugeot are to jump on the electric bandwagon, by rebadging the i-MiEV by Mitsubishi.
The two manufacturers have had an agreement since June last year to work together on electric cars, but nothing had been made official until now. The partnership will mean you can see the prancing Peugeot lion logo sitting on the nose of the Japanese i MiEV fairly soon.
It will save Peugeot waiting to develop the technology which has proved increasingly popular. The UK road tax scheme favours those using eco-friendly cars, but until now the french carmaker had no green badge
Read More at Auto Express
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Fisker Automotive is rounding the bend on production of its first vehicle, the luxury plug-in hybrid Fisker Karma. A Department of Energy loan still hangs in the balance for a lower-cost model, but the Irvine, Calif.-based startup has just announced $85 million in new venture capital to help develop and manufacture the $87,900 Karma sports car.
Fisker said in its announcement that it remains on track to begin production by the end of this year. Given that the company doesn’t plan to build or refurbish its own factory (one of the hurdles for rival startup Tesla Motors in producing its Model S sedan) for the first generation of Karmas, Fisker may be able to move fairly quickly into production. Although Fisker has said it eventually wants to set up manufacturing in the U.S., the company has signed on Valmet Automotive to assemble the Karma in Finland, at least initially.
Read More at Earth2Tech.com
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PayPal founder Elon Musk is the CEO of Tesla Motors. Recently he unveiled the Model S 4 door all-electric sedan shown above to much fanfare.
The car exists only as a prototype but the company hopes to mass produce it if it can obtain a $350 million dollar government loan to build the assembly plant.
Tesla has already been producing the 2-seat electric Roadster and has plans to eventually build inexpensive electric cars and partner with automakers. GM vice chairman Bob Lutz has even credited the company with inspiring him to develop the Volt.
But one thing that stands out is Tesla has no plans to build an extended range electric car like the Volt.
I had the chance to ask Elon Musk why.
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Takeo Fukui, Honda Motor Co. President says he will not lower the price of the 2010 Insight hybrid in response to Toyota cutting the price of its upcoming 2010 Prius hybrid.
He also said a new hybrid powertain is in the works for larger cars that will take place of a clean diesel engine which was originally planned instead.
In a report from Automotive News, Fukui confirmed that the price of the Insight would not change despite Toyota's decision to lower the price of the Prius. "I don't think that would be meaningful to do so," he said. Many thought Honda might lower its price to engage in a hybrid price war with its domestic rival.
Fukui also said Honda has decided not to proceed with its plans to put clean diesel engines in its large cars.
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Nikkei English News in Japan is reporting that Toyota will cut the price of the Prius to meet the lower price of Honda's Insight hybrid in Japan.
The Insight costs 1.89 million yen ($19,250) while the Prius costs 2.33 million yen ($23,646,000). In the story, which has not been confirmed, it is said the price of the Prius will be cut to 1.89 million yen.
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A Loveland car company is not only hoping to get its hands on some of the president’s incentive money, but also incentives from the city of Loveland.
Lightning Hybrids is developing a 100-mile-per-gallon car that will be unveiled Wednesday at the Denver auto show. The car is not finished, not even painted, but Chief Executive Officer Dan Johnson said it will be done by the start of the show.
“We are jazzed, we are really jazzed,” said Johnson.
The company is unveiling the LH4, a biodiesel, hydraulic hybrid.
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The city's first 15, introduced in 2005, are moving off the road after nearing the city's taxi retirement age. The Ford Escapes have demonstrated their durability and cost-effectiveness.
San Francisco's first 15 hybrid taxis, all Ford Escapes, have made it to about the 300,000-mile mark -- nearing the city's official taxi retirement age -- and are being taken off the road. Their longevity shows that hybrid technology is more durable than previously imagined; they also have saved drivers about $9,000 a year, depending on gas prices and number of shifts driven.
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Somehow, it seems appropriate that “Weird Al” Yankovic is the first celebrity mention for the Model S, the family car that Tesla hopes to release in 2011.
“Just put a deposit down on a Tesla Model S. Yay, I get a new car in… 3 to 5 years!” wrote the composer of “Another One Rides the Bus,” “Eat It” and other modern classics wrote on his Twitter feed.
The Tesla Roadster, the $109,000 sports car, has already long been a status symbol among the elite. Owners include Dustin Hoffman, George Clooney, Sergey Brin and Sam Perry. (Sam let Oprah cry on him after the Obama election, so he’s sort of a drive-by celebrity, like Squeaky Fromme, but what the hell.)
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It appears as though GE Capital (GE) has invested in Tesla Motors, according to a leaked Car and Driver interview with CEO, Elon Musk.
We've raised around $40 million, and a bit of news that hasn't come out yet [is] General Electric is investing in Tesla. [GE Capital] will be the second-largest investor in this round, after me. Our business plan that we presented to investors gets us to profitability by the middle of this year, even if some negative stuff happens.
Coming hot on the heels of the unveling of Tesla's well-received Model S, this more good news for the struggling electric car company, but it doesn't mean the company is out of the woods at all.
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Some bright spark has come up with a great idea for disused petrol stations – turn them into electric car charging centres!
That’s the plan of US firm Evoasis, which says the first of its sites could be open in London before the end of the year. But it told Auto Express that it’s also in talks with supermarket chain Tesco, with a view to adding charging points to its filling stations across the country.
Evoasis confirmed its first site is likely to be built near a major train station in the capital, such as Euston or Waterloo, while other earmarked locations include Canary Wharf and the centre of Soho. The firm claims that limited space could be overcome by installing a vertical parking system, which could be fitted to the side of a building.
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Hyundai is moving into the hybrid business quickly, with its first petrol-electric model expected to debut in South Korea this July and the U.S. by next year. Now, the carmaker’s American chief, John Krafcik, has revealed that management is considering building a more advanced plug-in hybrid sports car.
If given the go ahead, the vehicle would be based around the upcoming Blue-Will concept planned for next month’s Seoul Motor Show but no timeline has been suggested.
Krafcik went on to reveal that any production car based on the Blue-Will should "be a dedicated hybrid like the Prius and Insight", but unlike those cars it shouldn't be boring. He also told Automotive News that such a car has a “very good possibility” of coming to North America.
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